An initial report of c241,000 to 335,000 Year old Rock Engravings and their relation toHomo nalediin the Rising Star cave system, South Africa

The production of painted, etched or engraved designs on cave walls or other surfaces is recognized as a major cognitive step in human evolution. Such intentional designs, which are widely interpreted as signifying, recording, and transmitting information in a durable manner were once considered exclusive to Late PleistoceneHomo sapiens. Here we present observations of what appear to be engraved abstract patterns and shapes within the Dinaledi Subsystem of the Rising Star cave system in South Africa, incised into the dolomitic limestone walls of the cave. The markings described here are found on a pillar in the Hill Antechamber that extends into the natural fissure corridor that links the two chambers and we associate them withH. naledi. They include deeply impressed lines, cross-hatchings, percussion marks, and other geometric shapes on flat wall surfaces and in and around existing cracks and grooves in the dolomitic limestone walls, found in one specific location of the Dinaledi Subsystem. Remains of multipleHomo nalediare found in this part of the cave system and evidence mortuary behaviour appears in both the Dinaledi Chamber and adjacent Hill Antechamber dated to between 241 and 335 ka (Dirks et al., 2017; Robbins et al., 2021, Berger et al, 2025).